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Thumbs vs. Pinch method

Ok I know this topic gets beat to death on a regular basis. However I'm NOT looking for opinions over which one is best.

The reason for the poll is I'm writing an un-biased thumb vs. pinch article for our club newsletter. Polls in the past polled the general R/C population and those results consistently come out pretty even between the two.

So the reason for this poll in this forum is to see if the results are the same for those that fly competition.

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

Actually neither one of the two ways is better than the other from a control stand point. It is all a matter of personal preferance from the pilots comfort level. Its simply...one way feels better to a pilot than the other.
People try to read too much into things at times with massave amounts of ego and over complication!

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

Sounds like you probably bend the sticks a bit over time as well?

Neck straps are certainly not for everyone.

Just like your style holding the sticks, or where you put your other fingers on the transmitter, or which finger you use on which switch, or how you program, how much expo, rate switches (all together, or on each control) and all that good stuff.

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

I fly um, neither. I have my thumbs on top of the sticks and my index fingers curled around the top of the sticks, it feels most natural for me. I "push up" on the sticks with my thumbs and pull down with my index fingers, that just makes the planes motions and my motions feel more natural. Does anyone else do anything similar?

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

ORIGINAL: el-John-o

I fly um, neither.Â* I have my thumbs on top of the sticks and my index fingers curled around the top of the sticks, it feels most natural for me.Â* I ''push up'' on the sticks with my thumbs and pull down with my index fingers, that just makes the planes motions and my motions feel more natural.Â* Does anyone else do anything similar?

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

ORIGINAL: el-John-o

I fly um, neither.Â* I have my thumbs on top of the sticks and my index fingers curled around the top of the sticks, it feels most natural for me.Â* I ''push up'' on the sticks with my thumbs and pull down with my index fingers, that just makes the planes motions and my motions feel more natural.Â* Does anyone else do anything similar?

I'm somewhere in this camp. Pseudo-pinch. I wear a neck strap but still primarily hold the radio in my left with thumb on throttle/rudder (mode 2). My right is mostly thumb but I "cover" with curled index. Probably to prevent thumb slip-off.

My rates and mix switches I assign to the right and the left is the low-idle, kill, gear, flaps - all the landing type controls.

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

I have a friend that lost his arm in a car accident. He fabricated a false arm that has his TX mounted on it. He flies with his left hand only Pinky on the Throttle rudder and index on the Aileron Elevator. Really impressive and nice to see him continue with the hobby.

Let's just say, they will be satisfied with less. " Ming the Merciless

RE: Thumbs vs. Pinch method

Right stick = pinch
Left stick = thumb

(that makes 3 of us ???)

Back in the days when slotcars were a big thing, they discovered that guys who worked the throttle with just their thumb weren't as fast as guys who used their index finger on the throttle. At first the index-finger guys took heat for "affecting a look". After awhile that vanished because they were the ones who won all the time. Others picked it up and started winning all the time too. Everybody picked it up and everybody was winning again. The index finger was more accurate, faster, and had more "reach".